spiralizer veggie noodles ~ two ways

Spaghetti has been one of my favorite comfort foods since childhood ~ and now it has some competition! Bluwaterguy has converted me to spiralized veggie noodles ~ at least for the summer. 🙂

We agree on the noodles, but have very different views on sauce. I’m all about marinara and he loves classic clam sauce. This way we both get our choice and feel virtuous about the spiralized veggie noodles!

The meal comes together pretty quickly, and I’m amazed at the flavor and texture! Bluwaterguy did his usual research and bought this spiralizer from William Sonoma. It’s really easy to use and stores in a nice compact kit.

Here are a couple of SCBD tips {small change, big difference}. 🙂 Slice your veggies in the opposite order you plan to cook them ~ slice the longest cooking veg last, so it will be the first one in the sauté pan. Prep the veggie noodles and set them aside while you cook the sauce. Then as the sauce finishes simmering, sauté the noodles. We use yellow squash, zucchini and carrots, sliced in that order into a large bowl ~ using the medium blade for the squash and zucchini and the fine blade for the carrots.

easy classic clam sauce ~

2 cups of white mushrooms, sliced
2 6.5 oz cans of minced clams, use juice and clams separately
1 sm/med onion, diced
1 clove garlic, diced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine
1-2 tablespoons of butter for sautéing

Saute sliced mushrooms in butter with garlic in a medium sauté pan or skillet and set aside. Saute diced onion in butter until soft and just slightly browned but not caramelized. Combine mushrooms, onions, red pepper flakes, clam juice, wine and stir to combine. Simmer on med/low until reduced by half, stirring occasionally as needed. When sauce is reduced, add clams on very low heat and stir just to warm through. Do not over cook. Pour sauce over prepared noodles and top with parmesan cheese. Makes 2 servings.

spiralized veggie noodles ~

2 med yellow squash
1 large zucchini
1 large carrot
1/2 diced yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil

Spiralize squash, zucchini and carrot according to spiralizer directions. Slice your veggies into a large bowl in the opposite order you plan to cook them ~ slice the squash, then zucchini, then carrot. Saute the diced pepper in olive oil until slightly softened, but not fully cooked. Add the spiral sliced carrot and sauté til softened ~ roughly 2 minutes. Add zucchini and sauté ~ roughly 1 minute. Add squash and quickly toss to sauté ~ less than 1 minute, roughly 30 seconds. Remove from heat before fully softened, as the noodles will continue to cook slightly. Drain off any excess liquid from the pan. Makes 2 servings.

I like marinara sauce, and a jarred sauce with some enhanced flavor works perfectly well with these noodles. I added some of the sautéd onions and mushrooms to the jarred sauce and let it simmer while we cooked the clam sauce and noodles. The sauce reduced and thickened as the flavors married ~ then added some fresh basil in the last-minute of cooking.

Plate the noodles directly from the pan, and top with your preferred sauce and fresh parmesan cheese. 

Marinara all the way for me. I don’t do clams, but Bluwaterguy loves his easy classic clam sauce.

So, 3 veggie noodles, 2 sauces, 1 plate of great flavors and textures. This is a great alternative to pasta, with extra helpings of veggies too! I’m in love with this for the summer. Don’t tell my old favorite spaghetti. We’re sure to be reunited come winter! Until then it’s spiralized veggie noodles all summer long!